At least 9 reported dead, more than 100 injured near Ukraine's parliament

I&#x27;m following this on behalf of <a href="http://grasswire.com" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;grasswire.com</a> - and a lot has changed since this article was written. I&#x27;ll update this comment as frequently as possible.<p>* Update 18: More protesters entering EuroMaidan camp right now, many carrying tires. They&#x27;ve burned tires during these clashes to create a smokescreen.<p>* Update 17: Ukraine to restrict traffic to Kyiv starting at midnight tonight<p>* Update 16: Armored vehicles are entering the square. One has been set on fire by protestors.<p>* Update 15: An emergency meeting has been called between Yanykovytch and opposition leaders.<p>* Update 14: Protestors have united in singing national anthem of Ukraine as flashbang grenades, rubber and plastic bullets ring out. <a href="http://www.livestream.com/activistworldnewsnow" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.livestream.com&#x2F;activistworldnewsnow</a><p>* Update 13: Police reinforcements have arrived, barricade has been torn down. Protestors using laser pointers to blind police. Rubber bullets being fired constantly.<p>* Update 12: Police storming with water cannons and rubber bullets<p>* Update 11: Last few livestreams: <a href="http://www.livestream.com/activistworldnewsnow" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.livestream.com&#x2F;activistworldnewsnow</a><p>* Update 10: More streams going dead. This one is still live - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbQC7_TNQPw" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=PbQC7_TNQPw</a><p>* Update 9: The militia is storming the square. (personal commentary - this will not be good).<p>* Update 8: Chaos is breaking out. Fireworks and explosions everywhere. Livestream: <a href="http://www.livestream.com/activistworldnewsnow" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.livestream.com&#x2F;activistworldnewsnow</a><p>* Update 7: Better livestream: <a href="http://www.ustream.tv/channel/live-action-spilno-tv" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.ustream.tv&#x2F;channel&#x2F;live-action-spilno-tv</a><p>* Update 6: 10 police buses and 3 water cannons are now waiting on Institutsksa street<p>* Update 5: Militia making loudspeaker announcement at Institutska st. &quot;Please leave Maidan as an anti-terrorist operation will take place&quot;<p>* Update 4: Live feeds are disappearing. We&#x27;re worried the Internet will be cut soon.<p>* Update 3: BTR&#x2F;machine guns on a tripod spotted at the bank &quot;Khreschatyk&quot;<p>* Update 2: Riot forces are blocking all paths to and from the central square (Maidan)<p>* Update 1: the square is now surrounded by military forces<p>* Just a few minutes ago the promised &quot;ceasefire&quot; ended, and police are moving toward the square.<p>* Livestream: <a href="http://www.livestream.com/activistworldnewsnow" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.livestream.com&#x2F;activistworldnewsnow</a><p>* Two BTRs were recently heard.<p>* The main pro-protestor channel, Channel 5, had its signal cut<p>* Video of military APCs arriving in Kyiv, heading toward downtown <a href="http://t.co/ujaGa62OIg" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;t.co&#x2F;ujaGa62OIg</a>

The single oddest thing about these protests is to outsiders the whole thing seems utterly impenetrable. It seems really hard to tell who here could be said to be supporting or subverting democracy. Who are the puppets? Who is making the decisions?<p>Obviously the brutality involved is extreme, but the protesters causes don&#x27;t exactly make them sound like a bunch of angels either. It seems like the enemy of my enemy is my friend, until they&#x27;re in power, when they become my enemy again on a massive scale.

Does anyone have insight into russia&#x27;s possible role in all this? It does seem to give them a very handy excuse to consolidate their cherished buffer zone.<p>EDIT: by &quot;them&quot; I&#x27;m referring to the russian establishment, not the people in general.<p>EDIT2: I suspected this post was a bad idea. I <i>really</i> don&#x27;t mean to accuse a whole nation of maliciousness. I just want a little guidance in the geopolitical wilderness of mirrors. This probably isn&#x27;t the time to be asking.

This is really crossing a mental line for me. I have a friend who lives in Kyiv who is thankfully OK, but it&#x27;s definitely precarious. I am really hoping this situation deescalates quickly and a resolution is found.

This is now blocked. PDF on Scribd &gt; <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/207763317/At-least-four-reported-dead-more-than-100-injured" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.scribd.com&#x2F;doc&#x2F;207763317&#x2F;At-least-four-reported-d...</a>

Is it just me, or is this just eu&#x2F;us vs russia?

<i>acting Interior Minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko issued a public warning at 4 p.m. to protesters to clear the streets within two hours: “If by 6 p.m. the lawlessness doesn&#x27;t cease, we shall be forced to used all legal means to bring order.”</i><p>So, protesting against a government that remains in place clearly against The People&#x27;s will is &quot;lawlessness&quot;, but killing and hurting&#x2F;maiming protesters to shut them the fuck up is Lawfulness (and Good, naturally)?<p>In summary: The people do not want the current government to be in power, and the current government brutalizes them into submission, aaaand.. Yay democracy, Yay governments, Yay rulers?<p>Here&#x27;s a set of simple rules to follow:<p><pre><code> 1) Lawful = Good 2) Unlawful = Bad 3) Anything your rulers do = Lawful 4) Anything you do to oppose your rulers = Unlawful</code></pre>

I don&#x27;t think that Russia cares about a few extremists rioting in a small area in the downtown area of Ukraine.<p>Russia wins either way.<p>If the Ukraine ends up on the EU accession path, they will just end up destabilizing the EU itself.